Game playing apparatus



March 11, 1941. STANZEL 2,234,856

GAME PLAYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 21, 1938 4 Shegts-Sheet 1 M0702 STA/V261. I

5mm m V. STANZEL 'GAME PLAYING APPARATUS March 11, 1941.

Filed Nov. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gvwe/wbo'v V/c r012 STA/V251.

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March 11, 1941. STANZEL 2,234,856

GAME PLAYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 21, 1938 45heets-Sheet 3 v V/c T09 67/: NZEL EMM M March 11, 1941.

V. STANZEL GAME PLAYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Me Top 57A N2 EL EWM H Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a game playing apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide an amusement apparatus for playing a game wherein the skill and judgment of the player determines the success of an executed play. In order to score, that is, to execute a successful play, the player must exercise accurate judgment as to space, distance and location.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game playing apparatus involving the use of balls as playing pieces, a magnetic ball playing device whereby the playing pieces may be readily played without being actually handled by the player and means for automatically retrieving the played balls and rendering the same accessible for succeeding plays.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 shows a vertical, sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line l-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal, sectional view then on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a wiring diagram of the retrieving mechanism.

Figure ishows a plan view.

Figure 5 shows a plan view of another embodiment.

Figure 6 shows a plan view of a ball playing device adapted to be used in connection with the apparatus.

Figure 7 shows a side elevation thereof, and

Figure 8 shows a wiring diagram thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of thejfigures, the numeral l designates a casing as a whole having a transparent cover 2 preferably of glass. The casing is supported on suitable supporting legs as 3. The casing may also have side panels l, if desired, formed or transparent material. At one end the casing is provided with a transverse vertical partition 5 more accurately shown in Figure '2 which extends to the top of the casing and adjacent this partition on the inside of the casing there is a bouncing plate 6, preferably formed of hardened steel with a smooth face and whose upper surface is convex in the cross-sectional contour of the plate.

In the form shown in Figure 5 this bouncing plate Ea presents an upper surface which forms a segment of a spheroid, that is, it is curved in both directions. In each form, the bouncing plate rests on a suitable support 62) underneath, as shown in Figure 2. 5

The numeral 1 designates a score board arranged opposite the bouncing plate 6. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5 this score board is indicated by the numeral la and is arranged opposite and partially surrounds the 10 bouncing plate Be as more accurately shown in Figure 5. It may be here noted that in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, as well as that shown in Figure 5, the bouncing plate declines slightly toward the score board. As illustrated 15 both boards 1, la are plane boards having ball receiving openings as 8 although they may be of any selected design. Underneath the score board there is a base board 9 which is mounted on and pivotally connected to the arms I0, Ill. 20 These arms ill are fixed to the respective transverse stub shafts H, Ha. The shaft II has a depending arm I2 fixed thereto. There is a cable l3 one end of which is attached to the free end of the arm [2 and this cable operates around a suitable rotatable pulley [4 in the casing aligned underneath the partition 5 and passes up behind said partition and its other end is connected to the crank pin 15 of the disk l6 hereinafter referred to. Normally the crank pin I 5 is in upper position as shown in Figure 2 and holds the base board elevated so as to retain the balls passing through the holes 8 against displacement from said holes as: also indicated in Figure 2. However, when the disc 5 revolves to carry the crank pin into its lower position, the base board moves downwardly into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2 releasing the balls as I! and permitting them to roll down into a forwardly inclined receiving chute l8 as also illustrated in Figure 2. The lower end of the chute l8 terminates in an opening it through which the balls successively pass into a concaved retainer 20 as shown in Figure 1. The balls I! are formed of material which is subject to magnetic influence.

There is an endless conveyor belt 2| which operates over the upper pulley 22, the intermediate pulley 23 and the lower pulley 24, all mounted between the partition and the opposing end of the casing and the pulleys and belt are confined between the vertical side plates 25, 26. The conveyor belt has the external pick up wire hooks 21 as more clearly shown in Figure 1,

which sweep around the retainer 20 and pick up the balls I! successively as they enter said retainer and elevate them in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 1. The balls are accordingly successively elevated and pass over the pulley 22 and are discharged onto the forwardly declining guide 28 from where they roll down onto a slanted ball holder 29. The conveyor belt 2| continues over the pulley 23 for the purpose of furnishing motive power to the disc l6 which is fixed on the pulley shaft 30 whereon the pulley 23 is also fixed. In addition to operating the base board for dumping the balls, the disc It also serves to actuate the mechanism for receiving the balls from the holder 9 and elevating them to a point adjacent the playing field. This is accomplished in the following manner: There is a rod 32 pivoted at its lower end on said crank pin and whose upper end is slidable through a yoke 32a. and which is maintained against detachment therefrom by the head 3%. The upper end of the yoke is pivotally connected to the cross bar 33. Attached to the outer ends of this cross bar and extending upwardly therefrom are the push rods 34, 34 which work through the guides 35. The ball carrier or hopper 3| is mounted on the upper ends of the rods 34.

Surrounding the rod 32 and seated on a spring seat 38 thereon, there is a coil spring 3? which is interposed between said seat and yoke. At the beginning of each revolution of the disc 16 the crank pin [5 is in its upper position and as said disc revolves the rod 32 exerts a downward pull on the cross-bar 33 causing the downward movement of the rods 34 and the ball carrier 3 i. When the crank pin i5 has reached its lower position the ball carrier 31 will have moved downwardly beneath the slanted holder 29 and the balls on said holder will move through an opening in the plate 26 and onto the carrier 3|. As the disc l6 continues to turn the carrier 3i, now carrying the balls, will be moved back upwardly toward the glass cover 2. Suitable adjustable stops 38 are provided on the push rods 34 arranged to engage the guides 35 to stop the upward movement of the carrier 3| at the proper distance beneath the glass cover 2 so that they can be readily picked up by the magnetic ball playing device to be hereinafter explained.

The yieldable, slidable connection between the rod 32 and the yoke 32a permits the rod 32 to continue its upward movement allowing the disc it. to make a complete revolution even after the upward movement of the rods 34 have been so stopped. An electrically actuated latch 38 has been provided to stop the rotation of the disc It and its associated pulley 23, at the end of each complete rotation. However, the pulleys 22 and 24 continue to rotate until a complete set of balls has been elevated.

While the disc it is latched against rotation the belt 2| slips around the pulley 23 when the latter is latched stationary. The latch 39 is engageable in a cam shaped notch 46 in the margin of the disc [6. This latch is held in position to engage in said notch by the pressure of the spring 45. Thi spring surrounds the latch and normally presses against the stop 42 thereon.

An electro-magnet 43 is provided and on the outer end or" the latch there is an armature 44. When the e1ectro-magnet is energized it acts on the armature to release the latch 33 from the notch.

The numeral 44 designates an electric motor wired in an electrical circuit, as shown in Figure 3. In which circuit the electro-magnet 43 is also wired. Upon closing the switch 45 of said circuit the circuit is completed from the main terminal 46 through the conductor 41 and electro-magnet and to the motor and back through the conductor 48 to a main terminal 49. As the motor 44 starts the commutator 5D is thereby turned and forms an electrical connection through the brushes 5|, 51a, the discs 50a, 50b and the wiring 52 from the terminal 46 through the motor and back to the terminal 49. Thereafter the release of the switch 45 merely disconnects the electro-magnet 43 from the circuit and allows the spring 4| to move the latch 39 into position to engage in the notch 40 when the disc 16 has completed a single revolution.

The shaft of the motor 44 is provided with a worm gear 53 which is in mesh with and drives a spur gear 54 fixed on the driving shaft 55. The pulley 24 is fixed on, and driven, by the driving shaft 55. The commutator shaft 56 is driven from the shaft through the gearing 51, 58 and fixed on this shaft are the discs 58a and 5% formed of copper or similar conducting material, the disc 5012 having a section 580 of non-conducting material. The brushes 5!, 5m are in constant contact with the respective discs 56a and 50?). When the non-conducting section 500 comes into contact with the brush 5 la the circuit through the motor will be broken and the motor will be automatically stopped but not until after all of the played balls have been returned up onto the ball holder 29;. When the switch 45 is closed to complete a circuit through the electromagnet 43 and to start the motor said switch, upon release, will automatically open so as to break the circuit through the electro-magnet but the motor will continue to run until the brush 54a comes into contact with the non-conducting section 590 of the disc 50?).

When the set of balls I! have been elevated onto the ball carrier 3| they may be played therefrom by the magnetic ball playing device illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 and which will now be described.

This ball playing device comprises a holder 59 of a shape to be readily gripped and held by the player. Attached to the handle by means of the neck 64! there is a magnet cover 6| which forms also a radiator for radiating the heat generated by the electro-magnet 62 within. This electro-magnet embodies a core 63 one end of which projects beyond the cover El and is adapted to slide along the transparent cover 2 of the casing at the will of the player. On one side of the handle 59 there is the stationary, roughened gripping member 64 and on the opposite side of the handle there is a movable roughened gripping member 65 hinged to the holder at one end 66 and whose other end is seated against an inside coil spring 61. When the player grips the holder in his hand the spring 61 is compressed and an electric switch 68 is closed thus completing the circuit from the main terminal 69 through the wiring 10 to the electromagnet 62 and back through the wiring H to the other main terminal 12. This also completes an electrical circuit from the wiring '19 through the relay-magnet l3 and through the wiring l4 and through the break switch 15 to the other terminal 12. When the relay-magnet i3 is thus energized the switch 16 will be moved into contact with the contact point 11 thus completing a circuit from the terminal 63 through the c0ndoctors ii and ill and back to the main terminal 52. When the break switch "iii is opened current is out off from the electro-magnet t2 as well as the electro-rnagnet I3 allowing the switch it to open thus breaking the circuit between the conductors ll, l8.

Accordingly, when the player grips the holder and closes the switch it the electro-magnet will be energized and the player then passes the magnet 63 over the ball to be played and the ball is immediately pulled up by the magnetic force and may be carried over the playing field, or bouncing plate 6, or ta, to the exact point desired and from which the ball is to be dropped. When the player desires to make the play he merely opens the switch It and the ball is dropped onto the bouncing plate and rebounds onto the score board opposite said bouncing plate as is illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 2 a transverse stop 19 may be provided immediately beneath the cover 2 so that the ball will not be carried out beyond the bouncing plate.

In playing the game a score is made when a ball is played in such manner as to land at the selected target, in the present illustration the target being one of the holes 8. It is therefore obvious that considerable skill will be required in selecting the desired target and in positioning the ball, before it is dropped, so that it will leave the bouncing plate at the required angle to land at the selected target.

The drawings and description are illustrative of what are now conside ed to be preferred forms of the invention, while the broad principle of the invention] will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for playing a game having a bouncing plate, a score board arranged opposite the bouncing plate, playing pieces provided to be dropped from playing position onto the bouncing plate and deflected thereby onto the score board; means for moving said pieces with respect to the bouncing plate comprising an electro-magnet and means for movably supporting the electro-magnet so that it may be selectively positioned with respect to the bouncing plate.

2. In an apparatus for playing a game having a bouncing plate, a score board arranged opposite the bouncing plate, playing pieces provided to be dropped from playing position onto the bouncing plate and deflected thereby onto the score board; means for movably supporting the pieces comprising a transparent cover over said bouncing plate and score board, an electro-magnet supported on the transparent cover, said pieces being adapted to be picked up and to be moved relative to the transparent cover by said electromagnet.

3. In apparatus for playing a game having a bouncing plate, a score board arranged opposite the playing plate, playing pieces provided to be dropped from playing position onto the bouncing plate and deflected thereby onto the score board; a transparent cover over said bouncing plate and score board, an electro-magnet supported on the cover and manually movable thereon, said pieces being adapted to be moved relative to the transparent cover by said electro-magnet and means for limiting movement of the pieces to a predetermined zone of said cover.

4. In an apparatus for playing a game having a scoreboard, playing pieces provided to be dropped from playing position and means for SllDDOrtlng the playing pieces in selective dropping position; a bouncing plate shaped to deflect the playing pieces onto the scoreboard when dropped from said playing positions, said bouncing plate being curved and of a variable radius so that the path of the dropped piece from the bouncing plate to the scoreboard is substantially indeterminate.

5. In an apparatus for playing a game having a scoreboard, playing pieces provided to be dropped from playing positions; a bouncing plate shaped to deflect the playing pieces onto the scoreboard when dropped from said playing positions, said bouncing plate being curved so that the path of the dropped piece is substantially indeterminate, and means for movably supporting the pieces above the plate comprising an electromagnet and means for movably supporting the electro-magnet above the plate and which is formed to allow the electro-magnet to be selectively positioned above any desired portion of the bouncing plate.

VICTOR STANZEL. 

